Firearm safety



F. W. SAMPSON ET AL Oct. 7 1947.

FIREARM SAFETY Filed May 1, 1944 awe/whom FREDERICK VQEAMPS CIN, EEQREELLHYDE,

Patented Oct. 7, 1947 FIREARM SAFETY Frederick W. Sampson, Dayton, Ohio, and George J. Hyde, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors to General Motors Qorporation, a corporation of Delaware Application May 1, 1944, Serial No. 533,567

This invention relates to improved safety means for a firearm and. more particularly to such means for a firearm of the type commonly referred to as a submachine gun or machine pistol.

It is the primary object of this invention to produce a firearm safety member which is simple, entirely reliable, and one readily operable and understandable by those with little experience with firearms.

It is a further object to produce a firearm safetymember which gives a positive indication of the safety of the arm to which it is applied.

It is another object of this invention to provide a firearm with a safety member which also functions to protect the interior of the firearm against the entry of foreign material.

The exact nature of this invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will be readily apparent from consideration of the following specification relating to the annexed drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a firearm to which this invention has been applied;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 with the bolt locked in cocked position;

Fig. 3 is a partial top elevation with the afety cover open;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the safety cover closed;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View taken at the location of the line 55 on Fig. 1, the safety cover, however, being open;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 6-45 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference it will be seen that the firearm shown therein is of the same general type as that disclosed in our copending applications bearing Serial Nos. 533,566; 533,568; 533,569; and 533,570, filed May 1, 1944, and in which the structure disclosed but not claimed in this application is claimed, and comprises a receiver I having mounted for reciprocation therein a bolt Ill. The receiver is provided with an ejection port 65 in suitable position for the ejection of fired cartridges, this port being most clearly shown in Fig. 3.

A safety cover 66 is formed to conform to the exterior surface of the receiver and is mounted by suitable hinge means in position to swing against the receiver and substantially seal the ejection port against the entry of foreign material. Said hinge means includes a leaf 66?; that 8 Claims. (CI. 4216) is fastened to the outer side of the receiver l, and the cover 66 forms the other leaf thereof. The barrel portions of said leaves are connected in the conventional manner by hinge pin 660. To improve the efliciency of the seal a gasket such as that shown at 61 may be provided on the inner surface of the cover. Preferably the cover is formed with an edge portion 66a bent outwardly to serve as a convenient means of grasping the cover to open it to a position in which the ejection port is unobstructed. A notch 69 is provided in the circumference of the hinge pin engaging portion of the cover and a fiat leaf spring 68 is secured to the receiver in such a position that a detent 68a formed in the end thereof engages the notch 69 when the cover is fully closed. In this manner a predetermined resistance is applied to opening of the cover thus minimizing the chances of accidental opening without causing difiiculty in intentional operation thereof. At the same time when the cover is opened the spring bears on the circumference of the hinge pin engaging portion of the cover and applies thereto a definite frictional resistance to movement. In this way the possibility of accidental closure of the cover has been made fairly remote.

A safety finger I0 is provided on the inner surface of the cover and is so arranged that when the cover is closed the finger projects into the interior of the receiver. As shown in Fig. 1, when the cover is closed with the bolt in forward position the finger is received in a recess H in the bolt and definitely locks the bolt against substantial movement in either direction.

It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the safety finger i0 is provided with a rearwardly and upwardly sloped surface Illa and with an adjacent forwardly and upwardly sloped surface 79b. When the safety cover is closed upon the bolt with the bolt in cocked position it will be noted that the surface 18a engages the upper edge of the bolt I0 and cams the same rearwardly to a position in which the sear shoulder 3! is no longer in engagement with the shoulder 32 on the lower face of the bolt. As the cover is completely closed it will be noted that the bolt is free to ride forward slightly with the reentrant cam surface 8! on the face of the bolt engaging the forwardly sloped surface 161) of the finger thus applying an additional restraint to opening of the safety cover when the bolt is in cocked position. As the cover is opened the bolt will ride forward to be caught by the shoulder 3| of the sear.

It wi l be obvious to any n th t a lan a the weapon will serve to satisfy one that the Weapon is positively safe or that it is possibly dangerous. At any time when the cover is open and the safety not, therefore, in engagement the position of the bolt will be readily apparent from a glance at the ejection port.

A weapon with a safety device of such a simple, positive character may be carried and used by all military forces under any conditions of service without the usual liability to accidental discharge, and the simplicity of operation of this device renders the instruction of recruits in its management a simple matter.

We claim:

1. A firearm comprising a receiver; a'n ejection port in the receiver, a bolt reciprocable in the receiver, a cover for the ejection port, a safety lock on the cover projecting into the receiver when the cover is closed, and means on the bolt engageable with the safety lock to limit movement of the bolt. 7

2. A firearm as described in claim 1, said last mentioned means comprising two spacedsurfaces arranged to engage with the safety lock in either cocked or bolt forward position.

3. A firearm as described in claim 1 and sealing means on the cover arranged to prevent the entry of foreign material when closed.

4. A firearm comprising a receiver, an ejection port in the wall of the receiver, a hinged cover arranged to close the ejection port, a bolt reciprocable in the receiver and provided with a recess and a safety lock on the cover arranged to be received in the recess when the cover is closed with the bolt in forward position.

5. A firearm comprising a, receiver, an ejection port in the wall of the receiver, a hinged cover arranged to close the ejection port, a bolt reciprocable in the receiver, a cam surface on the forward end of the bolt and a safety lock on the cover arranged to engage the cam surface when the cover is closed with the bolt in cocked position.

6. A firearm comprising a receiver, an ejection port in the Wall of the receiver, a hinged cover arranged to close the ejection port, a bolt reciprocable in the receiver, a sear engaging the bolt when the bolt is in cocked position, and a safety lock on the cover constructed and arranged to engage the bolt and cam the bolt rearwardly away from holding engagement with the sear when the cover is closed. with the bolt in cocked position.

7. In a firearm having a receiver, a bolt and an ejection port, safety means comprising a hinged cover for the ejection port and a safety lock finger secured to the cover and. arranged to engage the bolt when the cover is closed.

8. A firearm comprising a spring-pressed reciprocating bolt, a receiver conforming to the general outline of said bolt and surrounding the same, an ejection port in the wall of the receiver, a hinged safety cover conforming to the exterior surface of said receiver and arranged to close the port, a detent notch in the cover, a spring detent on said receiver constructed and arranged t releasably engage the notch when the cover is closed, a finger on the cover and having a cam surface, and a reentrant cam surface on the spring-pressed bolt constructed and arranged to be engaged by the finger cam surface when the cover is closed whereby opening of the cover will be resisted by the spring-pressed bolt.

FREDERICK W. SAMPSON. GEORGE J. HYDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,456,482 Berthier May 22, 1923 1,077,680 Dawson et al Nov. 4, 1913 30,714 Boynton Nov. 27, 1860 1,878,038 Fromm'er Sept 20,1932 954,799 Hammond Apr. 12, 1910 639,421 Mauser Dec. 19, 1899 710,660 Bennett et a1 Oct. 7, 1902 1,176,663 Duffek Mar. 21, 1916 1,043,717 Pesek Nov. 5, 1912 947,478 Browning Jan. 25, 1910 940,191 Rebman Nov. 16, 1909 1,637,235 Norman July 26, 1927 1,737,974 Pedersen Dec. 3, 1929 2,231,978 Wesson Feb. 18, 1941 1,494,165 Hall May 13, 1924 '1,636-,0 19 Stuart July 19, 1927 

